Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, all of us are stuck in quarantine at home with much more free time than usual. Due to schools and businesses shutting down, we do not have much of a choice other than to stay at home.

We can turn to other means of entertainment such as music to help take our minds off these troubling times, and there are some songs that help bring us back feelings of nostalgia and cheerful memories of happier times.

One song in particular that we all may be able to recall is “Empire State of Mind” by Jay Z and Alicia Keys. This song is one of the many anthems of New York, which is referred to as the “concrete jungle where dreams are made of.” The song gives off feelings of aspiration and hope, sending the message that you can both follow your dreams in life and become successful. Another nostalgic song we may all have fond memories of is “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley. We can all recall the iconic lyric of “Never gonna give you up//Never gonna let you down.” This song gives the listener feelings of motivation and passion, along with being an American classic. It had a powerful cultural impact on society, inspiring many memes and the phrase “You got Rick Roll’d.” 

“Billionaire” by Bruno Mars and Travie McCoy is another song with which we may all be familiar. The song is about the singer’s aspirations of becoming a billionaire, and all the perks and joys around that lifestyle. The lyrics address topics such as expensive purchases to working at a high-status company. Overall, it allows the listener to fantasize with the artist about how lavish one’s life would be as a billionaire.

“We Are Young” by Nate Ruess is an iconic song about a wild night out and the importance of having friends who will be there for you, even when you are at rock bottom. It quickly grew in popularity after its release in 2012, remaining #1 on the U.S. Billboard’s Hot 100 for six weeks straight. The song’s catchy chorus attracted the attention of Glee back in December of 2012, and the song quickly gained the mainstream attention that it rightly deserved. 

“Gold Digger” by Kanye West  and Jamie Foxx is another classic that attracted the attention of listeners everywhere. It samples Ray Charles’ “I’ve Got A Woman,” specifically the lines “She gives me money when I’m in need.” The song took off to tremendous heights, peaking at #1 on the U.S. Billboard’s Hot 100. The song’s catchy lyrics and bouncy beat helped to push this song to become a classic throwback.

“Hey Ya!” by OutKast is another song that oozes nostalgia. It blew up quickly for having such an upbeat and catchy chorus, which in turn proved the point that Outkast was trying to make in the song. The song is primarily about the state of relationships in the 2000’s and the struggles that the artist is going through in order to find a loving relationship. However, this theme generally is overlooked because of the song’s cheery chorus and the reality that people generally just wanted a song to dance to, rather than a song with lyrics that one would ponder over. OutKast even ends his verse by singing, “Y’all don’t wanna hear me, you just want to dance,” and that line ended up becoming pretty accurate. 

There are many different throwback playlists that you can find on streaming services like Spotify or Apple Music that have a plethora of different older and nostalgic music available. Although being restricted to staying at home during quarantine may be difficult, taking a trip down memory lane is a great way to pass the time. 

Although being restricted to staying home during quarantine may be difficult, taking a trip down memory lane is a great way to pass the time.